Schmid apologizes for comments after Open Cup; 'Would never' touch a referee

I think the last two weeks have certainly been a tough period for the team, and a lot of people are pointing back to the Open Cup game, and people look at that game and say, ‘Three red cards: It must have been a really chippy, contentious game.’ I didn’t think it was a chippy, contentious game, per se. But certainly the thing I want to make sure of is the statement that I made after the game, you know in 40 years of coaching I’ve never touched a referee, nor would I ever do that. But I want to make sure that young coaches out there who heard that statement understand that that’s not the right thing to say. My father was a referee in southern California for years and years. They came over and played chess with him, and I’ve known referees since I was a teenager because of his refereeing and all that. There’s never been any animosity or anything like that. I just want to make sure that coaches who hear that statement understand that that’s the wrong thing to say. I feel bad about having said that. It doesn’t change necessarily how I feel about the refereeing performance, but that is never an appropriate wording or reaction.

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On if he regrets leaving the bench, too, or if that actually was a wise way to avoid confrontation: In retrospect I probably shouldn't have left the bench area, but I also was so frustrated at that point I did want to remove myself. Not that I would have done what I said, because that was never something that was on my mind. But just to get myself out of the situation and stop saying any stupid – which I ended up saying afterwards – but just get myself out of the way. And so that’s why I left the area. But at the end of the day, for sure it was the wrong thing to say; and I probably should have stayed on the bench area, as frustrating as it was.

On if some of his players should take the advice to walk away before doing something they regret: For me and certainly within the coaching staff it’s something we’ve talked about. There are a couple of players I’ve talk (with). It’s not where I held it up as a teachable moment. I said to the team, I said I regret my behavior in the game, I regret walking away, and I regret what I said. I said to the team as a whole that it starts at the top, and I have to apologize for that because I was wrong. But at the end of the day, it’s over, we have to leave it behind us. And for me the most important thing is that other coaches – young coaches who look at the Sounders or other organizations – say, ‘Hey, this has been good, this has been positive; don’t look at that as ‘OK, that’s the way to react.’ No, that’s not the way to react.